simeon_flake

When it comes to the "recycled dogs" I don't like much, this short is one of the first that always pops up in my mind. There is just so much stock footage that I wonder if Jules White had a premium on how much new footage he could shoot in order to call these stinkers new & sell it to the theaters. Apparently, this should have been called "Stooges on the cheap."

I'm sure Bill Brauer was still alive and well & could have come back as Hargen, instead of that painfully obvious stunt double that sneaks out of the tailor shop. Jules was too cheap to even bring back Phil Arnold, as I'm pretty sure that is Jules himself shouting "Thanks, so long," off camera. Just a totally uninspired Stooge film...

Once again, the Moe, Larry, Shemp trio take a turn at playing detectives & the results are very funny. This is like Golden Age Hollywood noir mixed with horror, and expertly directed by Edward Bernds.

The stooges are janitors, who just happen to be in a detective's office, when suddenly, the beautiful Christine McIntyre rushes in--desperate and not knowing where to turn. She gets abducted & it's up to our three brainy heroes to save her.

There are many great scenes in this one, and--like a lot of Ed Bernds shorts--a hallway chase is prerequisite. The funniest moment may be when Larry surprises Shemp, with what Shemp thinks is Larry's disembodied head--they got him and he's still talking,

Just a great scare routine done by the boys....

Opinions seem to range all over the map with this one--from those who say its better than "All Gummed Up," to those who find it to be one of the more putrid Shemp rehashes. Count me as the latter, as I find it very dodgy--to say the least--that this is better than the original.

Considering that most of what we see is All Gummed Up. Of course, you can count on Jules White to sprinkle in the occasional new insert shot that doesn't advance the plot--or improve anything--I just suppose Jules does it to fulfill some quota for new footage, so he could sell these tired recycles as new films.

Anyway, most of that quota comes at the very end, when the new plot twist is that Emil's character turns into an ape after eating the formula. How lame and unfunny this new twist is....